Dental engine control



Feb. 20, 1951 R. w. PAGE 2,542,833

DENTAL ENGINE CONTROL Filed Sept. 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l Hiuhard W. Page INVENTOR Feb. 20, 1951 R. w. PAGE DENTAL ENGINE CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1946 IFIGA- jHiuhard'W Page INVENTOR Patented Feb. 20, 1951 S 2,542,833 nENrrAL nNGINncoNTRoL i Richard. W..Bage, Chappaqua Na Y..

Applicatibn-Sept'ember 13; 1946, Serial-N-.-696L859- 4 Claims. (01. 32%23').

This invention relates to improvements indentaix-instruments, and: more particularly to: provision: of. improved COIl'tI'OlSvfOr' fluid. supplied "in: conjunction withthe conventional; hand. piece;

AIuobject of theinvention is. to provideanzime provement: on the control. means for the; air sup.- ply of" device such as the: improved. fluid: spray means-w. described: in: mypending applications, Seriala No. 511,073,. filed. November 20,. L943, now Patent! Number 21420338 and Serial No.. 671,784, filedrMay 231 11 946, which constitute coupling of the: air supply valve: with the rheostat footcontlZUI. for the drilling; machine itself, wherebyathe dentist; may" at the same: time" control; the speed; of. the drill and the supply of air to; the crnzity bleingfldrilledzi With. these andi still. other objects which. wills appear ina the: following' fiulli descriptionin mind; the invention consistsuin: the: combinations: and; arrangements? of parts; and *details: of construc tion which will new first be: fully. described: in connection with the accompanying. drawing and will then be more. particularly-pointed out in. the appended. claims;

In: the drawings Figure 1 is' an: elevation at the. drill head, drill: carrying: arm: and engine. therefor and of the rheostat' foot control, showing; my improve'dv air supply valve applied thereto;

Figure 2 shows" a longitudinal. section of my improved. valve means a tfixe'd to therheostat: foot control fonad'rill;

Figures is a planrview'of themechanism shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows, in elevation, my invention as applied. to a modified form. of rheostat foot contnol for a dental drill;

- Figure 5showsa modified form of my invention as appliedz to a. third form of rheostat: foot control;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through the air supplyvalve control'm'ember shown in Fig:- ure.5;.

Figure '7 is a top plan of the air supply valve control member. shown in Figures 5 and 6; and

Figure 8 is a section through another modified form of my: improved air supplyval've control unit.

The invention. is intendedfor use with a drilling machine ofthe conventional type including the usual hand piece for receiving a drill, bufler, cleaner, gum massager,. grinding or sanding wheel or. other denta1.instrument,. mounted on a jointed engine arm. 2 attached. to. a stand or support: 3 (shown in part). The hand. piece I is operated in the usual manner by a'motor 4 having electrical connections; 51Baldifi1g: to the: foot controlled rheostat: 6.; which latter is. attached. to. anyacoxr. venientiz electric power;- outletb'y the; usual cords and plug: 1.. Air. and waterfiare. supplied to: the nozzles. in at: the. drill: headthrough flexible. tubes l2 and I3, as is fully described in my-zahove mentioned; application... The water supply through tube i3 is. controlled by. a handivalve. orcontml' located .on the: hand. piece; and is. not. involved. in. the present invention, whichis concerned with; thesupply. of airrto; the nozzle; lall' through flexible tube.- [72,. control. therefor bein coupled. withthefoot: controlled rheostat. 6- .ior the drill: engine, sothat: the dentist. may, atlth same; time and with the same. foot, control boththex operation of; the. drillz andzcthe-airsupply.

The foot controlled rheostatt is of theausuak form comprising. a substantially cylindricalyca'singa'having a: pedal: or pedals 2 0* extending radially therefrom. and adapted. to: he moved; to: the. left,

or right; by" the foot of r the operator toincreasa or decreasethe; speed of rotation ofthe drill en? gined, andconsequentlyoi therdrillt. In theforma shown; in Figures: l to 3, the: pedals. 2U. extend-1 outwardly from; the casing.- 6. through circumferentialopenings 2| nearrits base. My improved air supply valve, as adapted forattachment to; such a drill speed. controL; comprises: a U-shaped member 38.: extending diametrically across theitop; of casing-6; the arms: 3 and extending down its. sides to the; radialpedals 2107.. A flat spring; 342 is attached at. one; end by a bolt 35: to the underside of the horizontalchannel section:3.3:1of. member 30,. extending substantially the full. width of section 33Mancl1 pressing downwardly and. away" from thev top wall of section 33-. A downwardly extending-bolt 36 is attachedato the. under surface of the spring at the: center of member" 3.6;. formin a pivotal" attachment to the; casing-6,. whereby the member: 31] maybe. moved pivotally thereon; in coordination: with the circumferential movementof" the pedals 20; about the vertical central axis of casingxfi; A threaded sleeves-T may be provided for bolt235 for spacing the member'fl-ll 'andzspringxfl from the top of'the casing 61.

Arm 31, comprising apairof downwardly ex tendingflanges, as shown, is pi-votally attached to oneofithe-pedalsifliby' a pin orbelt Ml'while the opposite arm 3'2carries a Ushaped pedal member or shoe 4a! which fits. over the other pedal ill, beingflfree for vertical movement with relation thereto. Horizontally extending and slanted flanges 42 are formed on the shoe 4| for downward pressure by" the operators foot.

A plate 38 partially closes the under side of channel section- 33'cf the membera'fi and spring 3 tpresses'against this plate. Flexible tubing i2; through which: the air is suppliedto the hand piece, enters the member 30 through an opening 39 therein and is threaded between the spring 34 and the plate 38, out through an opening in the plate 38, back through an opening in the plate 38 and again through opening 39, being then connected to a pressure tank 60 or other suitable source of supply for air under pressure. A bulge or extension is formed on thelower surface of the spring 34 where it presses against the tubing I2, serving to compress the tube l2 for cutting off the flow of air therethrough. Upon downward pressure upon shoe 4| by the foot of the operator, plate 38 is moved downwardly away from spring 34, releasing the pressure upon tube l2 and allowing air to flow therethrough to the air nozzle Ill. Accordingly, by sidewise movement of his foot against the shoe 4 I the operator may control the rheostatand thus the speed of rotation of the drill, and by downward pressure upon thesame shoe" with the same foot, he'may control the supply of air to the air nozzle .10,

very simply adapted for use with such devices by adjusting the length of the downwardly extending arms .of my member 30, as indicated in the figure, the construction and operation being otherwise the same. I

Some rheostat foot controls for drills are provided with only one pedal member, though being otherwise substantially the same as the above described control devices. A further modification of my invention is illustrated in Figures 5 to '7 for use with such devices. A pedal shoe 80 is provided, similar to the shoe 4! in shape, for attachment to the pedal of the rheostat control unit. An adapting block 8!, having a:- slotted lower end fitting over the top edge of the pedal 79, isattached to the pedal 19 by bolts 82 and 83. Bolt 82 also extends through the shoe 8!] which fits over the pedal 19 and block 8|, serving as a pivot for the shoe. A spring 84 is located within shoefifl, abutting the top surface of pedal 19 at one end and a pin 85 extendingthrough shoe 8!! at its other end, maintaining an upward pressure upon shoe 8t. Tubing [2 for supplying air to the air nozzle H1 is run into' shoe 80 between adapting block Bland a second pin 85 extending through shoe 80;.around pin 86 and out again to the air pressure supply source, in a manner similar to that described in connection with the preferred form of my invention described above. 'Upward pressure of spring 84 upon shoe 80 causes pin 86 normally to compress the tubing l2 (see Figure 6) to cut off the supply of air Downward pressure of the operatorisfoot upon the shoe 8!] releases this pressure upon the tubing l2, allowing free flow of air through the tubing l2.

4 valve device 95 inserted in the air supply tubing l2. Switch 9 I, normally held closed by the pressure of spring 84' upon shoe 80', is opened upon downward pressure by the operators foot upon shoe 80', operating the solenoid valve device and allowing air to flow through tubing l2 to the air 7 nozzle ll].

As will be apparent from the foregoing description, the modified devices of Figures 5 to 8 may be employed with the rheostats of Figures 2 or 4, where preferred, and electric switch and solenoid' valve control may be substituted for the direct valve control of Figures 2 or 4, if desired.

However, it is preferred to utilize the valve control, as distinguished from the switch control, whenever feasible, since the rate of fluid flow may be regulated by the foot pressure, instead of obtaining a merely on-and-off operation.

What I claim is: e

1. In a den'tal drilling apparatus having a motor driven drill and means for supplying fluid at the'drill, and in combination, a drill motor controller having a horizontally movable operating pedal, a fluid'valve, and a'pivotally mounted shoe on said pedal embodying a fluid valve operating member whereby horizontal pressure by the foot against said shoe will operate said pedal and vertical pressure thereon will operate said fluid valve. 2. In an attachment for supplying fluid at the drill of a dental engine, and in combination, a fluid" supply line; .valve means therefor, a shoe adapted to fit over a drill rheostat pedal and means for mounting the shoe for pivotal movement thereon for simultaneously and selectively controlling a drill motor and now of fluid through the suppl line'with the foot by pressing against the shoe in one direction to operate the pedal and pressing against theshoe in another direction to operate the fluid supply valve.

3. In an attachment for supplying fluid at the drill of a dental engine, and in combination, a

'fluid supply line, valve means therefor, a valve operating member, means for mounting the member upon a drill motor controller having a controller pedal, for movement with the controller pedal, and a shoe carried by said operating member adapted to fit over the pedal and move transversely thereof for simultaneously and selectively controlling the drill motor and the flow of fluid by pressure of the foot upon saidshoe.

4. Inan attachment for supplying fluid at the drill of a dental engine, and in combination, a

fluid supply line, valve means therefor, a shoe adapted to fit over a drill motor controller pedal, means for pivotally mounting. the shoe thereon, and valve'operating means carried by the "shoe and operable by pivotal movement thereof, whereby simultaneous and selective control of the drill motor and the fluid suppl may be obtained by pressure of the foot upon said shoe.

RICHARD W. PAGE.

Name Date 786,662 Morgan Apr. 4, 1905 1,557,164 'Hofschneider Oct.13, 1925 2,098,732 Prather Apr. 19, 1937 OTHER REFERENCES 7 Page :5 ofRitter Catalog, November 14, 1939, 

